UFC Rio moment prompts Cub Swanson to call for an end to 'twerking' celebrations in MMA, fans react: "Stay retired mate"

Fans reacted after Cub Swanson voiced his disagreement with twerking in MMA. Twerking in combat sports is often viewed as a behavior that undermines traditional codes of respect and sportsmanship. Some believe it reflects a lack of seriousness and contributes to the unnecessary sexualization of a sport that demands commitment, focus, and discipline.

During the recent UFC Rio event, women's bantamweight contender Irina Alekseeva celebrated her entrance by twerking, which garnered significant attention.

Check out Irina Alekseeva's pre-fight celebration below:

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Swanson, a veteran MMA fighter and UFC Hall of Famer, responded to Alekseeva's actions in a post on X, stating:

"I may be in the minority here but I think “Twerking” has no place in combat sports (Man or Woman)."

Fans flooded the comments section of Swanson's post with their opinions on the matter. While some agreed with his viewpoint, others felt that individuals should be free to make their own choices and not face restrictions. For rerefence, fighters like Jordan Leavitt have adopted twerking as a part of their victory celebrations.

One fan commented:

"Jordan Leavitt gets the pass."

Other fans wrote:

"I don't really like it myself, but I also don't want fighters to be restricted in harmless celebrations that many of the fans enjoy." "Stay retired mate and keep thinking about what's allowed apart from skill moves. Brain dead."

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @CubSwanson on X]

In Alekseeva's fight, she struggled to defend against Beatriz Mesquita's powerful grappling. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend, Mesquita secured an early takedown in Round 1 and dominated Alekseeva with fierce ground-and-pound strikes for most of the round.

She was able to take the fight to the ground with relative ease again in Round 2, transitioning to a position that allowed her to take Alekseeva's back and catch her in a tight rear-naked choke, forcing Alekseeva to tap out.

This defeat marked Alekseeva's third consecutive loss in the UFC, bringing her record in the promotion to 1-3.

Edited by Rajneesh Suhas Reddy